“It’s felt pretty Civil War-ish,” says one comic of the changing atmosphere in clubs. Illustration by Ryan Casey.
The current political scene has long been fodder for comedians, and generally speaking, people have usually taken political humor with grace, even if it’s been at the expense of their personal views. Not anymore. The people who voted for Trump don’t seem to have much of a sense of humor, and their aggrieved entitlement has taken a toxic front seat at comedy venues, making comedians change everything. Rolling Stone has a good look at how the current political climate is changing the comedy scene.
But since the election, Mattern, Rodriguez and other comedians have observed that Trump backers are much more vocal in clubs – intimate settings where comics can become the hyper-focused target of frustrations, pride and insensitivity. And after getting ridiculed in clubs throughout the campaign season, Trump supporters are lashing out in victory.
“They dare you to be the opposition now,” Rodriguez says of some Trump-supporting audience members she’s encountered. “They’re emboldened; they yell out shit they know they’re not supposed to say.” Rodriguez recounts a recent set when she referred to the President-Elect as “the guy from The Apprentice” and was told by someone in the crowd to “get the fuck off the stage.” Lately, Mattern says, he’s perceived a dip in comedy club attendance on the part of minorities. “If there’s a diverse crowd I’ll say, ‘Look at how different you all look! This is great that you’re all together.’ And of late I’ve had to kind of tweak it to, ‘Man, you’re really a diverse-looking bunch of white people.'”
This is a really bad sign, of just how fast bigotry and oppression spread, along with the intolerance of fascism.
Someone on the county route I take to the city has a big sign, still up. One side (bigotry warning): “Hillary Lies Matter,” the other “Hillary for Prison”. I went to the local diner the other day for breakfast and the waitress looked at me funny- could have been for any reason, but given what I saw next, I feel like I must have had Hillary-voter written all over me. A group at a nearby table started criticising Trump over the cost of security for him remaining in New York and the waitress practically shouted at them- “What about all the things Hillary did? The people have spoken!”
I find I don’t know how much to worry. I think we have a pretty diverse and tolerant (university) town for rural Wisconsin, but some of that tolerance rests on people not talking about things. There are gay and non-binary students at the highschool and so far no student that I’ve asked has reported them being hassled and they have a club, but the club goes by the name of Women’s Empowerment and it seems like you kind of have to ask around a bit to find it. I think the town is alright, but kind of in the way you cross your fingers and think the turkey is alright after a week in the fridge ’cause you know you’re going to eat it anyway.
Martha:
I know the feeling. I used to rather depend on nDakota Nice, but that’s gone out the window because of Standing Rock, and most of the state has turned into a massive hate machine. I find myself wondering if someone in my tiny town is going to decide I need a bullet.
As for keeping the peace via not talking, fuck me, that’s exactly how fascism takes control, and gets into place before you can blink. We’re in a lot of trouble.
“The people have spoken!”
And most of them did not want Trump. But they were not really asked.
Charly:
And their votes didn’t count, either.
The first thing that came to mind reading this was the post about Mr. Christian Supremacist Lance Wallnau accusing professors of being intellectual pedophiles: that’s how it goes. Build a foundation of anti-intellectualism and truthiness, trash the economy, campaign on oppression of religious minorities and immigrants, attack academics, dissidents, and artists. Voila, fascism.